For the third consecutive year, TrueLight Childcare is selling Christmas tree ornaments to support the children of Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Every ornament purchased will provide a pair of shoes for a TLC child. If you were around for our Christmas fundraiser last year, you know that the ornaments are hand-painted by the TLC kids! What you may not know is that it takes months of planning and the collaboration of many TLC sponsors and friends to get the ornaments tree-ready. From conception to final product, this year’s fundraiser has engaged the talents of people around the United States and of every TLC child in Addis.

Each summer, a group of college students travels from the States to Addis to volunteer with and learn from the TLC team. One of the many things these volunteers do is bring the ornaments with them for the kiddos to get creative with and then keep track of each hand-painted ornament so sponsors can purchase the ornament painted by the child they sponsor. This summer, Matt and Rachel Marshall of Jackson, TN, led a team of volunteers to Addis where the children painted a circular wooden base, which would later be overlaid with a wooden cutout of the TrueLight flame. 

Artist, professor, and TLC sponsor Heather Hornbeak of Nicholasville, KY, has been instrumental in TLC’s design and web presence. Creator of the TLC logo, which utilizes a flame above the word “light,” Heather adapted the TrueLight flame for the overlay of this year’s ornaments, representing both TLC’s mission as well as the light of Christ that Christmas celebrates.

Designed to use a single piece of wood for each overlay, the outline was then forwarded to a team in Tennessee where they would be shaped with a laser cutter. Indigenous Outreach International board member and former Media Coordinator/Storyteller Aaron Hardin used his access to a laser cutter at a co-working space in Jackson, TN, to help bring the vision for this year’s Christmas ornaments to fruition.  

“I hope that the children embrace all the wonderful opportunities available at TLC and grow up to bless their own families and community,” said Aaron of the TLC children. 

Next, the ornament bases and overlays went to Corinth, MS, where Richard Tenhet, TLC sponsor and Anna’s dad, volunteered his home workshop for assembly, where he normally works on household projects, builds birdhouses and wind chimes, and enjoys craft projects with his grandchildren. After determining the best orientation for each ornament based on each child’s painting, Richard drilled a hole into the base for the ornament string. He then painted the backs of each base, applied a label designed by South Carolina-based sponsor Josh Garcia, glued the overlays to the bases, and threaded a string to each ornament.

Left: Anna Worley and Aaron Hardin chipping away at the laser cutter. Right: Richard Tenhet gluing the ornament overlays to the bases. 

“These ornaments are a picture of the work of our ministry,” said Anna, who is based in Chicago and oversaw the ornament creation from start to finish. “It’s a collaboration of people from all over—from Ethiopia and the States—working together, using the gifts God has given us to encourage and help each other.”

Anna says it’s encouraging to see so many people come together, for this project and for others throughout the year, to use their gifts and abilities used to support the physical, educational, and spiritual well being of the TLC children.

The work TLC does for our brothers and sisters in Ethiopia is fueled by the generosity of sponsors and friends who contribute their resources and talents. If you would like to do more for TLC but aren’t sure how, contact Anna Worley at annaworley@ioiusa.org. You can also buy a Christmas ornament below! 

This summer, two students from Union University traveled to Addis for six and a half weeks to intern for the TrueLight Childcare Project. While there, our interns visited the homes of the families you sponsor to hear their stories. One intern, Lizzie Bird, shares about her experience:

I am so fortunate to have been back to Ethiopia for the second time in two years! I am thankful for everything True Light Childcare does for poor families in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. I am so thankful that God would choose a lowly being like me to join in the amazing work he is doing in the hearts of those people in Addis.

We had a few days off work when we first landed to get adjusted to the time change. After a few days we started our work, which consisted of 8-12 home visits per day. When we visited a home, we would interview the child and the family to write a report to send back to sponsors in the States. Nothing will ever prepare you for the poverty you see when you enter these families’ mud homes. It hurt my heart to see how badly they are in need. But the worst part of it all was the fact that I couldn’t fix their problems. However, I could love them and show them an unconditional love that I have experienced myself. The love of Jesus. Even though I couldn’t help them physically, I could pray for them. I felt so helpless, but I have seen firsthand how powerful prayer is. 

It’s a powerful thing when you share a verse or a testimony with one of these families. Because they sit in awe of you, and they soak up everything you say. Even if a family didn’t pray to receive Christ, a seed was planted in their hearts that day. I’ll never forget one young girl who did pray to receive Christ. This girl in particular was deaf, so our friend Courtney (she knew sign language) translated. We listened to her story and talked to her about the Lord and the good things he promises to those who love him. She was so overwhelmed with so much information, but she became a Christian that day!

We visited over 200 families in six weeks, but there is one family in particular that stole my heart the moment I met them. As we walked into Lidet’s small, mud house, her mother and father scrambled around to make the single room more tidy, and her father even ran to the store next door to buy us drinks, which is a huge sign of hospitality. We listened to her family talk about how hard it is for them to pay rent each month for just one room. I listened to her father almost break down in tears because he didn’t know where his income was going to come from. I listened to them tell me about Lidet’s tonsillitis and how it affects her appetite, which is why she is so small. I also listened to them tell me about how much they loved their daughter and how they would do anything for Lidet to succeed. It’s so rare to find a family like Lidet’s, because in the midst of their suffering, they are thankful and hopeful.

As we walked away from her home, I asked Nati, our translator, if she had a sponsor. I was so surprised to find out that she did not, so that day I decided that I wanted to be the one to support Lidet. I decided that I wanted to love her, and show her that love every month.

Fast-forward a few weeks to our last day working. That day in particular, all the children in the program came to the office to get measured for their school uniforms, and Lidet just happened to be there. This day will forever be etched into my mind because the emotions I felt were so overwhelming. I told Lidet I wanted to sponsor and support her and love her, and do you know what she said to me? With tears in her eyes, she looked at me and said, “Thank you. I love you so much.” She gave me the biggest and tightest hug. I honestly never wanted that moment to end, because in that moment I felt pure joy.

I wondered why God even sent me on this trip. What was my purpose here? Of course, it was to aid the TLC project, write reports, and share the Gospel. I also think he sent me there to learn about myself and to grow as a person. I believe he sent me back because he knew how much love I have in my heart for Ethiopia and for the families I met. Like I said earlier, I am so thankful that he would choose me, send me, to do this work. For that I am forever grateful. Ethiopia has a special place in my heart, and it always will. I pray that one day I’m able to go back, but until that day, I will wait patiently. I will live in the moment, and try to show the love of Jesus that I have in my heart. Never ignore a calling God has placed in your heart, no matter how terrified you might be. Chase it with all your heart, because God always has a plan, and he will bless those who follow him closely.